Israel’s missile attack on media offices in Gaza City last weekend was successful. A gratifying response came quickly from the head of The Associated Press, which had a bureau in the building for 15 years: “The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today.”

For people who care about truth, that’s outrageous. For the Israeli government, that’s terrific.

The AP president, Gary Pruitt, said “we are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP’s bureau and other news organizations in Gaza.”

There’s ample reason to be horrified. But not shocked.

At yesterday afternoons Columbus City Council Columbus Metropolitan Club Debate, City Council candidate Joe Motil stated in his opening comments that, “The musical chairs appointment process is in place to keep control and power over the people and to benefit councils campaign contributors. And if Ms. Brown wins and completes her 4-year term I will remove the words tax abatement from my vocabulary”. Motil has been the city’s most outspoken critic of Ms. Brown and her City Council colleagues on handing out tax abatements over the last 4 ½ years and having called City Council’s appointment process a ‘farce.”

Of course there are 60,000 Pentagon super (duper!) spies prancing around the globe with tracking devices in their shoes, goofy wigs on their heads, collections of comical sunglasses, and — for the employee of the month! — silicon handsleeves and silicon faces to fool the airport cops, or maybe it’s the Vaccine Nazis, or perhaps it’s the Marxist conspiracy and election stealers denounced by the head of the Space Command who was fired last week for straying from his designated delusions.

After all, this is the military that produced 120 retired generals openly proud of their batshit balminess. When you dump $900 million dollars unbeknownst to anybody into 130 private companies listed absolutely nowhere to get 60,000 undercover clowns employed at household-name corporations that even the author of the article linked above doesn’t name a single one of, who is to say what will happen?

I am.

Horrible things will happen.

Local activists are left confused and angered on why Police Chief candidate Perry Tarrant was rejected by the City a second time even though his experience and resumé – and also being “outside the Division” – seemed like a good fit to make needed change within the Division while also effectively protecting Columbus.

Activists reminded the Free Press that Tarrant has experience leading a police department under Department of Justice (DOJ) scrutiny, which Mayor Ginther has called for regarding the Columbus Division of Police.

The Seattle Police Department was under DOJ monitoring when Tarrant came on as Assistant Chief of Police, and assisted Oakland and Ferguson police departments as well when they were under DOJ monitoring.

“My penchant for constitutional policing and procedural justice were personal drivers for accepting a leadership role as Assistant Chief of Police with the Seattle Police Department, which was under a Department of Justice (DOJ) negotiated settlement agreement,” wrote Tarrant in his 2019 application letter to Mayor Ginther.

36

Ablock later, the bus stopped again, and Anton stepped on, fumbling for change.

“Oh, man,” Anton said, counting out what he had.

“How much you need?” Jim said.

“I don’t know. A buck?”

“Here,” and Jim peeled off a dollar bill.

“Thank you, sir.”

“You owe the next guy.”

“I got that,” Anton said, sitting down across from Jim.

The bus took off and rumbled down the street. After six blocks or so, Anton leaned across the aisle.

“Buy you a beer?” Anton said to Jim.

“Sounds good,” and the two were out of the bus.

“There’s a place around the corner,” Anton said.

“Hester. I know it,” Jim said.

“Anton Evers,” holding out his hand to shake.

“Wallace, Jim Wallace,” shaking Anton back.

Both men instinctively thought they’d heard each other’s names before, somewhere.

The men walked in, eyeballed a booth and sat down. A cute waitress, Ebony, sauntered over.

“Couple a beers?” she said, wiping the table.

“That'd be fine,” Anton said.

“So, what are you doing out tonight?” Jim said.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”